mail!

today i received the most mail i've ever received in one day. it was incredible. it felt like someone combined my last ten sets of birthday cards into one day. okay, maybe a bit less than that, but i got at least fifteen pieces of mail. that's a lot!

in my pile of glorious mail came two packages. amish grace: how forgiveness transcended tragedy was the first new buy. i know that i have two tests and a paper next week, but all i want to do is read this book. it's about real forgiveness and real grace by real people in a real tragedy. and of course, sister helen prejean has a quote on the back. 27,000 cool points right there. i'll let you know how it is.

next was a film that is on the list over there on the left: once. i am so excited. i already have people lined up to borrow it so they can share the joy with me. have you seen it? did you enjoy it as much as i did?

side note: sarah and i (and nikki and kristen) went to the emergency department (did you know that it's the ed now, not the er?) last night. her arm was getting worse. yep, it was worse. she fractured her radius. speaking of fractures, did you see the film fracture? totally mysterious but good. not making the list on the left, but worth a $4 rental if everyone pitches in.

poor sarah!!!

it was a beautiful day and three students, sarah, molly and jamie went roller blading (with out the appropriate knee pads, elbow pads, and helmets) through golden gate park. i got a hysterical call from jamie, "sarah's hurt! there's blood! come pick us up in the park. hurrrrrrry!" so off i rushed to the park searching for the three bladers. there she was. bloody face, hands and knees. (this is a blader that calls herself a professional!) holy smokes. we got her back to the house and realized that none of us knew what exactly we should do. we didn't think we needed to be at the emergency room but we were unsure. luckily, my new and wonderful friend, pryor, lives two blocks from the house. and, she's a nurse! the southern bell arrived and comforted sarah by applying hydrogen peroxide ever so gently as all of us watching encouraged sarah to scream or yell expletives, but she didn't do either. she just kept taking deep breaths. what a trooper! thanks to pryor for applying her nurse skills and coming to the rescue.

a note from sarah: "don't wear helmets because they are totally uncool. however, when [roller] blading down a hill that doesn't seem steep, veer to the grass asap. if you can't do it asap, you might look like me. try falling on your butt, not your face."




*i have permission to post these photos here.

three oscar thoughts.

here are my thoughts on last night's academy awards... 1. the best speech was by tilda swinton; best quote: "thank you life, thank you love" 2. i am so happy that glen and marketa won. well deserved. and good decision to let marketa walk back out there; she is so eloquent and beautiful 3. diablo cody definitely deserved the best original screenplay for juno, but glad it didn't get best picture.

down-up-down-up.

two thumbs down: vantage point.
two thumbs up: san francisco freeze.
two thumbs down: rain which inhibits me from scootering.
two thumbs up: dim sum with the family.

completely enthralled with: schizophrenia disorders (lie!) and the
oscars tonight (truth!).

geico.

i'm not a huge fan of salamanders and lizards, or what i would assume to be slimy creatures. i don't hate them but i would prefer they keep their distance. i feel the same way about the geico gecko. he annoys me. until today. today i want to embrace him and stroke the top of his head with my index finger. he really did save me money by switching to geico. ie: i called around about getting insurance for my new scooter (who still needs a name, by the way) and geico was the cheapest, by far ($200!). so, i thought to myself, "i wonder if it's cheaper for me to get my car insured with geico, too?" got a quote and it's $42 cheaper. is $42 really worth it? YES! $42/month x 12 months = $504 in savings! holy cow. everyone should call to see if it's cheaper to switch to geico.

i own a scooter!

pictures to come soon.

random thursday, part II.

have i told you about good magazine? i subscribed about a month ago and then just got my first issue. seriously, so great. (or, good, rather.) when you subscribe to the magazine one hundred percent of your payment goes to the nonprofit of your choice. you get twelve choices including 826 national, kiva, teach for america and more. i chose 826 national because 826 valencia is home to at least one urban intern every semester and they have one of the best internship programs for our students.

tomorrow is scooter day. ahh! excitement all around.

saturday is the freeze mob at the cable car turnaround at powell & market. if you don't know what the freeze mob is, check out what happened in new york a few weeks ago. thanks michele for informing me..

not that juicy of a debate tonight on cnn. blah.

if i emailed you for my art&politics project, can you email me back? and forward it on to your parents, please. that will make my demographic a lot more interesting.

i passed!

yep, it's official. i have my m-1 permit. party!

also, no more yamaha in silver or raspberry red. i'm going for the honda in cherry red. i think i should name it. any ideas? i pick it up on friday!

it's really happening.

yesterday i did my research.
today i bought a helmet.
tomorrow i take my motorcycle permit test.

that's right. i'm getting a scooter. it will hopefully look like this:

or, it could look like this:

which color do you like better?

gentrification, etc.

lesley and lori came to san francisco. so fun to hang out.

also... erin, julie, lori and i went to a play at berkeley rep. we saw taking over and it was incredible. it definitely challenged my ideas of what gentrification means and how it can impact so many different people, in both good and bad ways. don't know what gentrification is? it's "a general term for the arrival of wealthier people in an existing urban district, a related increase in rents and property values, and changes in the district's character and culture. the term is often used negatively, suggesting the displacement of poor communities by rich outsiders. but the effects of gentrification are complex and contradictory, and its real impact varies." read more about it here.